Too Clever By Half

Sometimes it's possible to think too much.

Last night at The Nuts Poker we were still on the first blind level and I was dealt A-3. I made my standard raise and everyone folded except the short stack who called. The flop came down with an ace, at which point I checked and the short stack went all in.

My instinct was to fold - I had a bad kicker and and no flush draw. My stack was far from huge so I really couldn't afford to throw chips at a bad ace.

Still, it was a decent pot so I stopped to think. And managed to convince myself that this was a desperate last-ditch bluff by the short stack, representing the Ace when he only had one person to fool. If he'd really had anything he'd have gone all-in pre-flop. He was probably on random paint like K-J.

That analysis fitted my observation of him so far. Perhaps more importantly it gave me the answer I subconsciously wanted. So I called.

I should have trusted my instincts - he showed A-10 for a better pair.

As it happened I got lucky: a 3 on the river saved me. I felt genuinely embarrassed at putting my opponent out. Still, I paid for it later in the evening when an A-J I was convinced was sound ran smack into A-A. That left me short stacked and I never recovered.

So today's note to self: think hard - but trust your instincts.

Labels: improving my game, nuts, poker